Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-17

of himself and other keepers to show that
Burgess was never complained OF for any
infraction of discipline, never called int
the "Principal's'' office, and never saw the
punishment room. But from that story,
supported by the actual fact that there
was suicide, eXaggerations have found
their way into PRINT until some believe
that Mr.. Connaughton hung a man up by
the wrists and dashed him with cold wa
ter until he died, greeting the doctor S
d announcement of the death with the re-
mark, $50 much the BETTER" that in
| walking through a shop the principal
keeper drew pistol and shot man who
did not look pleased to see him; and that
prisoners are thrust for punishment into
dark cells that are black holes whose moi
some walls drip filth and moisture. Mr.,
Connaughton always ends the converse
ton on this topic by asking:
''Do look like man who would do
things like that? l have not carried &
pistol six hours since I have been IN this
position"
Then he insists upon showing the pun
ishment room. II is right back of his
Office, and its heavy brass key is kept
locked in q drawer of his desk. The
place is Just as light as the main prison,
| but there is g double row OF cells in IL
placed back 10 back like those OF police
station. Their walls are clean ana dry,
but they contain nothing but q water
faucet and sink il the way Of furniture
aud fittings. Outside of each grated cell
door is heavy wooden one. When it is
shut not ray of light gets into the cell.
In three places in the narrow corridor
| hang "weighing machines" but only one
| of them bears marks of having been used,
or is fitted with q hook so that it can be
used.
The "weighing machine" is an instru-
ment of torture used occasionally in pun
ishment. It is q heavy piece of oak
plank in a frame work, and may be fixed
at any height by means OF pegs lifting in
row of holes in the frame. A snap hook
in the middle of the plank is used to
fasten the chain of q pair of handouts to-
The prisoner to be punished has his HANDS
in these cuffs. Tie degree of punishment
| is governed by the elevation OF the NOVA
BILE plank. If 1t is low enough 20 that
| the prisoner can stand tiat-fOOted, it is
! irksOme and painful, but endurable.i
Raised until he is on tiptoe, it is g thou-
sand times worse, and lifted until the
! victim is suspended by the wrists, i. is so
severe an ordeal that thirty. seconds usual
! ly sutlices to bring to submission the
most obdurate. The principal" says
that this punishment is seldom used, aud
q man is never hung up without getting
there last chance TO choose between
punishment and work, or whatever alter
native the object is 10 enforce.
TIE neXtlighter punishment is the dark
cell, and the other penalties are the stop
ping of privileges or tobacco of offenders,
keeping them locked up over Sunday or
giving them harder work. Mr.. Connaugh-
ton mas many letters from visiting clergy
men and priests commencing his treat-
ment of the prisoners. William Poole
and Joseph Font, who were pardoned on
New Years Day, asked the reporters to
make mention of their grateful apprecia
ton of the kindness OF Warden Brush and
Keeper Connaughton to them, and Font
repeated his thanks in q letter written
after he had reached New YORK..
The plain fact about life in al institu
ton like Sing Sing prison is that common
sense and intelligence are just as useful
there as anywhere else. The good pris
oner is the one who realizes that the
rules are memorable and the routine must
be gone through with. He avoids trouble
himself and does not trouble his keep
era. Most of the famous prisoners
from this city are good in this
sense. Philosophy or policy governs
them, and they seem to be inclined
to face the situation and make the best of
it. The possible exception is Ward,
whose fertile brain cannot rest from
scheming. His schemes no longer
involve millions of money and the credit
OF individuals and financial institutions.
They are devoted to the attempt to secure
little privileges for himself at every pos
sible occasion. He was complete failure
in book keeping, and had to be put out of
the contractors Office before he hopelessly
muddIed the accounts. He is now
kicking a small printing press. His
work is confined to printing tags for the
stove shops and trifies like that, and his
thoughts apparently do not go beyond
the consideration of excuses to get as
many trips across the yard as possible.
The only drawback to his pleasure is the
fact thst he is too apt to be seen. He
could scarcely fail OF recognition by the
most casual observer. His striped wool
en- cap, much too large, is pulled down
over his ears, and his coarse jacket goes
up to meet it like muller. But the
nose and eyes are visible and unmistaka-
bic.
EX-Police Sergeant David Crowley has
the hardest task to look philosophically
upon his sentence of seventeen years and
a bali. He denounced the in ustice of it,
while giving assurance that he can stand
it himself. But he breaks down when he
speaks of his wife.
"She hever had any trouble BEFORE"
said he, "but within seven months time
she lost her husband, who was sent to
prison, and her father and mother and
six-year-old daughter by death"
Ex-Alderman Jaehne shows the same
nerve in his prison experience that dis
tingulshed him in his trial. The loss of
his moustache makes as great change in
his face as the prison uniform contrasts
with his old dapper appearance. He mas
left the laundry department and works in
3 side room of the bake house, with oily
one man with him. They pack the to-
bacco for the prison, a package of fine
cut, that may be either chewed or smoked
in a pipe, being given every Saturday
night to each prisoner.
Ex-Aldermsn McQuade has also gradu-
ated from the preliminary school of turn
ing shirts. He is now on the top floor of